I sent my letter but I haven’t seen it yet. Why not?
We work very hard to post each letter as soon as we receive it but alas, work, sleep, eating and personal hygiene must also be considered. Please check back often. We strive to publish each letter within 48 hours (please note – this was recently changed from 24 hours due to heavy traffic). If you have not seen your letter it is possible that the letter had content which was not suitable for this site (please refer to “What won’t you publish?” below) or that there was an error in sending. If necessary, you can verify by emailing us directly at help@lettersillneversend.com.
How do I write a letter?
Our best suggestion is to just simply sit down and write it. I would suggest writing it on Word or Notepad first so that you can copy and paste the letter. However, if privacy is a concern, you might feel more comfortable typing directly into the Letter Submission section.
How should my letter be formatted?
For readability it is optimal to have shorter paragraphs. Breaking your larger paragraphs into 2, 3 or 4 line paragraphs and adding a line of white space between paragraphs is much easier on the eyes.
What if I spell something wrong and don’t realize it until too late?
The quickest way to rectify this is to reinput the letter (or the correction) with a notation in the title to correct spelling or you can email help@lettersillneversend.com and we will take care of it.
Do you correct spelling and/or grammar?
We try, but we’re not perfect. Correcting grammar and/or spelling is not meant to be a judgment on your writing but we DO want to make sure you get your point across and poor grammar or misspelled words tend to distract the message. On very rare occasions we will add a missing word to a sentence, but only if we are quite certain as to what the word should be. If we have doubt, we’ll leave it out. If that happens and you want to go back later and correct that sentence, please contact admin@lettersillneversend.com with the Title and Date of your post. We’ll take care of it from there.
Can I divulge personal information, such as my name, email address, etc.?
lettersillneversend.com will not publish full names unless in reference to a public figure e.g. Abraham Lincoln. If a letter comes in with an obvious full name we will shorten the last name to an initial.
If I can’t publish a full name how can I let that person know it’s me that is writing to them?
Everybody has their own voice in writing and we encourage you to use yours. If you are hoping that your person will someday see this we suggest using details particular to your situation, e.g. places you have been, nicknames, in-jokes, etc.
The site is not letting me comment. Why not?
The reasons can be simple or complicated. First and foremost, try emptying your temporary internet files (or clearing your cache). Oftentimes this will rectify the situation. If it still does not work, our system might just be hiccuping or downright broken. We really appreciate you letting us know when you have problems. Sometimes it’s the only time we find out there are issues. We will actively work to get the comment system up and running. In the interim, you can always email us your comments. Just leave your “name” and the “comment” and let us know the date/title of your letter. Send it all to admin@lettersillneversend.com.
What WON’T you publish?
It is the publisher’s sole discretion on which letters are chosen for publication. We make every effort to publish every letter that we receive but there are certain subjects which only promote negativity: we will not publish any racist and/or homophobic letters, we will not publish letters that appear to glorify self-harm. Please refer to the Hotline list available below.
Also, we understand the strong emotion of depression and although we do publish letters of suicidal feelings we will not publish anything that could be deemed a “suicide note”. We encourage everyone who is feeling suicidal to please contact a professional at the Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-TALK (8255). We care – Please get help.
Hotline List:
Self-Injury Hotline
SAFE (Self Abuse Finally Ends) Alternatives Program
www.selfinjury.com
1-800-DONT CUT (1-800-366-8288)
National Adolescent Suicide Hotline
800-621-4000
National Association for Children of Alcoholics
1-888-55-4COAS (1-888-554-2627)
National Child Abuse Hotline
1-800-422-4453
National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233)
National Drug Abuse Hotline
1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357)
Al-Anon/Alateen Hotline
Hope & Help for young people who are the relatives & friends of a problem drinker.
1-800-344-2666
Center for the Prevention of School Violence
1-800-299-6504
Boys Town National Hotline
1-800-448-3000
Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-548-2722
Eating Disorders Center
1-888-236-1188
Ecstasy Addiction
1-800-468-6933
Gay & Lesbian National Hotline
1-888-THE-GLNH (1-888-843-4564)
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Youth Support Line
800-850-8078
Healing Woman Foundation (Abuse)
1-800-477-4111
Marijuana Anonymous
1-800-766-6779
Panic Disorder Information Hotline
800-64-PANIC
Pregnancy Hotline
1-800-4-OPTIONS (1-800-467-8466)
Pregnancy Hotline (National)
1-800-356-5761
Pregnant & Young Hotline
1-800 550-4900
TalkZone (Peer Counselors)
1-800-475-TALK (1-800-475-2855)
Teen Helpline
1-800-400-0900
TeenLine
1-800-522-8336
Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program
1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)
1-800-999-9999
Youth Crisis Hotline
1-800-448-4663
1-800-422-0009